THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Write-In; In Nader's Campaign, White House Isn't the Goal

By ELIZABETH KOLBERT,

Published: February 18, 1992

MANCHESTER, N.H., Feb. 17—
You can't really blame Ralph Nader for not wanting to be President.

"Over the years," he said, explaining his reluctance, "there has been a rather serious and relentless deterioration of our democracy."

At the same time though, Mr. Nader does not seem to think anyone else should get the job, either. That is why he is campaigning here as a write-in candidate on both the Democratic and Republican tickets. A vote for him, he explains as he crisscrosses the state, is a vote for "none of the above."

"On Feb. 19, the Presidential candidates are going to take off from New Hampshire on a plane called 'politics as usual,' " he said in a recent interview, "and they're never going to look back. The only way people will get their attention is to write in my name. Better than a message, send them a movement." Citizen Empowerment Is Goal

Mr. Nader, the consumer advocate who has been obstinately, and often successfully, battling the Establishment for more than 25 years, is campaigning here on a manifesto of citizen empowerment.

The manifesto, squeezed onto two single-spaced legal-size pages, begins with the proposition that "Presidential campaigns have become narrow, shallow, redundant and frantic parades." It calls for an official "none of the above" option on the ballot, for 12-year term limits for public officials and for a repeal of all White House and Congressional raises since 1988, as "a necessary dose of humility to the politicians."

Operating on revenue of less than $75,000, Mr. Nader's write-in campaign is probably not much of a threat to the leading candidates of either major party. But as Mr. Nader points out with obvious relish, his audiences are routinely larger than those of his rivals. Almost 300 people paid $3 each to listen to him speak recently at the University of New Hampshire in Durham; a free speech by Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas at the university at around the same time drew only 100 people.

The crowds have helped Mr. Nader get some much-needed news coverage. But undoubtedly the greatest public relations coup of the Nader campaign has been attracting the support of Gail Barba, the former chairwoman of President Bush's re-election committee in Dixville Notch.

Dixville Notch is a tiny town in northern New Hampshire with the kind of political influence most major cities can only dream of. At one minute past midnight on primary morning, the town's voters, all 29 of them, cast the first ballots of the New Hampshire race, usually with several television cameras standing by to broadcast the results. Conscience at Issue

In her letter of resignation from the President's committee, Mrs. Barba wrote that "having the unique opportunity of being the first in the nation to vote," she could not in "good conscience" cast her ballot for Mr. Bush.

"I came to this realization," she wrote, "after a visit from Ralph Nader."

The significance of losing an important backer in Dixville Notch was not lost on the White House. The President called Mrs. Barba's husband, Steve, to make sure he was still on board. "It was kind of awesome," said Mrs. Barba, a cross country ski instructor. "I hope the President doesn't take this too seriously."

Mr. Nader for months resisted entreaties from friends and allies to run for President. Finally in the fall, after a serious write-in effort had been started here, he agreed to campaign sporadically in the state.

It is difficult to predict how well Mr. Nader will do on Tuesday. His support is not extensive enough to be measurable on most public opinion polls.

Anyway, since actually capturing the White House is not the goal, every vote is, in some sense, a victory. As Mr. Nader told a group of supporters here on Saturday: "You can't lose; the only question is how much you win."

Photo: A vote for Ralph Nader, he says as he crisscrosses New Hampshire as a write-in candidate on both the Democratic and Republican lines, is a vote for "none of the above." Nader and Harkin supporters carried signs yesterday on Elm Street in Manchester on the last day of the campaign. (Edward Keating/The New York Times)